


Babydoll's Fluff

by Pagesandparagraphs



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), Halsey (Musician), Melanie Martinez (Musician), Set It Off (Band)
Genre: Caregiver!Ashton, Caregiver!Cody, Caregiver!Halsey, Caregiver!Luke, Caregiver!Michael, Daddy Kink, Daddy!Calum, Daddy!Cody, F/F, Fluff, Help, I have no self control, Little!Ashton, Little!Maxx, M/M, Might add more ships later, Mommy Kink, Mommy!Halsey, Multi, Puppies, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, babyboy!Ashton, babyboy!Calum, babyboy!Maxx, babyboy!luke, babyboy!michael, babydoll - Freeform, babygirl!melanie, caregiver!Calum, daddy!Luke, daddy!ashton, daddy!michael, i'm probably going to hell, idk - Freeform, it's really cute ok, little!Melanie, little!Michael, little!calum, little!luke, oh well, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2018-11-16 02:47:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11244747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pagesandparagraphs/pseuds/Pagesandparagraphs
Summary: A collection of blurbs bc I have no self control. The fluffier side of daddy kink, basically. I apologize in advance. It's just a fluff book





	1. Muke: Staying at Home

**Author's Note:**

> I'm new at this, sorry if it's shit. Please don't sue

"Daddy!" Michael whines from the other room. I close the door slowly, putting my things down quietly. I creep along, trying to suppress a smile.   
"Daddy!" Michael whines again. I bite my lip to keep from grinning. Luckily, his door is open. I hear him huff and when I peek into his room, he's returned to his coloring.   
I slowly creep up on him, trying not to giggle. He sighs one more time before whining, "DADDY!" I wrap him up in my arms, making him scream in surprise. I laugh a little, picking him up. He looks at me with wide eyes. He giggles, but then he smacks me on the chest lightly.   
"Don't scare me," He whines. I smile gently.   
"I'm sorry, babyboy," I say, kissing his forehead. I put him back down, kneeling next to him. "I just wanted to surprise you." Michael smiles.   
His eyes light up and he excitedly shows me his drawing. "I drew us!" He gushes. "I worked really hard on it!" I gently take the paper, smiling fondly at the drawing. It's nothing complicated, but it's completely adorable. I turn back to Michael, who's waiting expectantly.   
"Do you like it?" He asks. I nod, setting it back down. I give him a hug.   
"I love it," I say. I kiss his cheek. "It's an amazing drawing." Michael blushes.   
"Really?"   
"Really." He laughs happily, clapping his hands.   
"Do you want me to hang it on the fridge?" I ask. Michael nods vigorously.   
"Yes!" I chuckle, getting to my feet.   
"Then let's put it up." He pouts, making grabby hands upwards. I sigh, shaking my head. I smile slightly. "Use your words, babydoll," I say gently.   
He huffs, but then giggles. "Up!" He says, making grabby hands again. I laugh, rolling my eyes.  
"Close enough."  
I pick him up, making sure he has his drawing. And people keep asking why I'm working on my arms so much. I carry him into the kitchen, letting him pick out the magnet. He rummages through the box before pulling out a little bow magnet.   
"This one!" He says.   
"This one?" I clarify, holding the magnet. He nods. "Do you want to put it up?" I ask. He shakes his head.   
"Want you to do it," He replies.   
"You sure?" He nods. I smile. I set him down gently before putting up his picture. I admire it for a bit before turning back to Michael. "Are you hungry yet?" I ask. Michael shakes his head.   
"I want to watch TV," He says. I glance at the clock.   
"It's almost 6:30," I say. "You need to eat soon." Michael pouts.   
"I don't wanna!" He whines. "I want to watch TV!" I sigh.   
"How about I make you a deal?" I say. He perks up a bit. "I'll let you watch TV and eat on the couch IF you don't whine about your bedtime tonight." He considers this.   
"Can my bedtime be 11?" He asks.   
"That's awfully late," I point out. He pouts. "How about 10:30 IF you spill nothing on the couch?" He nods quickly.   
"Yes, daddy!"   
"We have a deal?"   
"Yes, daddy." I smile.   
"What do you want for dinner?" I ask. I help him up into his chair. He thinks for a second.   
"Can we have pizza?" He asks.   
"We had pizza last night," I point out. He pouts.   
"Can we have it again?"   
"If we have it again tonight you can't have it tomorrow. You know the rules." He thinks about it.   
"Can we have Mac & Cheese instead?" I nod, smiling.   
"Of course, babydoll," I reply. "Maybe tomorrow we can get pizza from your favorite place." He perks up.   
"Really?" He asks. I nod. He squeals, clapping his hands together. I laugh, shaking my head fondly at him. He swings his feet as I make dinner. He hums, resting his head in his hand.   
Once it's finished, I make sure I put Michael's serving in his favorite bowl. I grab his sippy cup, filling it with juice. I grab his bib, putting it on him. He pouts. "I don't need the bib," He whines. I raise my eyebrows.   
"Are you sure?" I ask.   
He thinks for a moment. "I don't WANT the bib," He corrects. I chuckle.   
"You also don't want to be covered in Mac & Cheese, angel," I point out. He huffs.   
"Fine," He mumbles. I chuckle. He crawls into the living room while I get out a tray to eat on. I sit down slowly, making sure the tray is in place. I give Michael his tray.   
"Don't spill it," I warn. He shakes his head.   
"I won't, daddy," He assures me. I chuckle. I turn on his favorite cartoons and he bounces in his seat a bit. He starts to take a bite of his food but I stop him.   
"Careful, babydoll," I warn. "It's hot. Don't burn your tongue." He pouts before sighing and blowing on it. I giggle a little.   
Surprisingly, I don't have a huge mess to clean up by the time he's done eating. I just have to clean his bib and he accidentally spilled his juice on the coffee table bc the cap wasn't on tight enough.   
He starts to cry, panicking. I hurry into the kitchen, getting a towel to clean up the juice. "I'm sorry, daddy," He says, sniffling. I smile gently at him.   
"It's alright, angel," I assure him. "It was an accident." Once I have it cleaned up, I take his bib off. Then I give him a hug, rubbing his back to help him calm down.   
"Do you want me to get you more juice?" I ask. Michael nods, sniffling.   
"Yes, please," He replies quietly. I pick him up.   
"I'll clean up and then I'll bring you your juice, ok?" I say. "You can go to your room and hug your stuffie. He makes you feel better, right? Dandelion?" He nods.   
"He makes me feel better," He says.   
I smile. "Well, I think he's a little lonely," I say. "How about you keep him company for a while?" Michael nods. I rub his back again, smiling. I carry him to his room, finding Dandelion. Then I go and wash the dishes and Michael's bib. I pour more juice into the sippy cup, making sure the top is screwed on tight enough. Then I walk back into his room.   
Michael looks up, cuddling Dandelion. I kneel in front of him, handing him the cup. He takes it with both hands, holding it close. "Are you mad?" He asks.   
I shake my head. "I'm not mad, babydoll," I assure him. "It was an accident."   
"I made a mess," He points out. I smile slightly.   
"It was an accident," I repeat. "And it wasn't that big of a mess."   
"Really?"   
"Really." He smiles. He puts down Dandelion and hugs me. I hug him back, smiling.   
"I love you, Daddy," He says. "You're so nice to me." I chuckle, rubbing his back.   
"That's bc I love you too," I reply. "You're my little treasure." He giggles, holding me closer. We stay there for a while, but then he goes to play with his toys.   
He asks me to join him, and I give his toys voices as we play. He giggles, occasionally smacking me and telling me that's not how they sound. Then he proceeds to give them a new voice, making me laugh.   
We play for a while, though soon I'm just playing by myself as Michael watches, holding Dandelion. He giggles as I play. I laugh too. After Michael gets tired of playing with his toys, he asks, "Can you sing?" I smile.   
"Of course," I reply. "What do you want me to sing?" He thinks for a second.   
"The ladybug song," He replies. I blink.   
"The Miraculous Ladybug theme song?" He nods. I giggle. "Sure, babydoll," I say, pecking his lips. He giggles, kissing me lightly. I smile.   
As I sing to him, he rests his head on my shoulder. By the time I'm done with the song, he's sleeping on my shoulder, cuddling Dandelion. I smile at him fondly, putting an arm around. I have the most adorable babyboy. 


	2. Cashton: Puppies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caregiver!Calum and Little!Ashton looking for puppies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this in half an hour. Enjoy

“Daddy?” Ashton asks, crawling into the room. I hum.

 

“What is it, angel?” He sits cross-legged in front of me.

 

“Can we get a puppy?” He asks. I glance up from my laptop, raising my eyebrows.

 

“A puppy?” I ask. He nods, smiling.

 

“You like puppies, right?” I nod. He claps his hands together. “We should get a puppy. It’ll be cute and bark and it’ll keep us company.”

 

I chuckle. “Are you responsible enough for a puppy?” I ask. “Can’t just leave Daddy to take care of it alone.”

 

Ashton nods. “I can help!” He assures me. “I’ll help feed it and I’ll give it a bedtime and train it.”

 

I laugh, shaking my head. “You can’t give dogs a bedtime,” I say as Ashton sits down next to me. “They just sleep whenever they want to sleep. Trust me, angel, in my experience, they just sleep whenever. Some can be trained to have a bedtime, but some can’t.”

 

He pouts, thinking about this. “Well,” He says, “I’ll still help! I promise! Pleaseeee?”

 

I chuckle again. “I guess we could,” I say. “A puppy would be nice.”  


His eyes light up and he claps excitedly. He smiles brightly and hugs my side. “Thank you!” He says, giggling. Then he pulls away, gasping. “When are we gonna get a puppy? Can we get one now?”

 

I laugh. “We’d have to look for one,” I say. “We can’t just get a puppy in five minutes.”

 

Ashton frowns. “Can we go to the pet store?” He asks. “There are a lot of puppies there.” He thinks for a minute. “Or a shelter! Shelter dogs are so nice and all they want is a hug because they’re lonely.”

 

I hesitate, frowning a little. “Are you sure, angel?” I ask cautiously. “Remember the last time you went outside when you’re like this?”

 

He frowns, remembering. “I don’t like the way they look at me,” He mumbles. “They give me weird looks and they think I’m dumb but I’m not.”

 

I nod, chewing on my lip. I have two options: Look online now and go to a shelter later _or_ wait until Ashton is out of little space to go out in public. Knowing Ashton, if we’re home for a while, he can be in little space for at least a straight week at a time.

 

I sigh. “Tell you what,” I say, “how about we look for puppies online now and we’ll try to find a puppy like it at the shelter later? That way they won’t be staring at you.”

 

He nods, smiling. “I like that idea.” I grin. I open my laptop again.

 

“What kind of puppy do you want?” I ask. “Should we get a small dog puppy or a big dog puppy?”

 

He thinks for a while. “Doesn’t matter,” He replies. “I just want a fluffy puppy.”

 

“You want a fluffy puppy?” He nods. I chuckle.

 

I look up fluffy dogs, going to images. I might as well figure out the type of dogs he wants. I’ve been considering getting a dog for a while, but I didn’t know if Ash wanted one. Turns out he does. If we’re going to be getting a dog, we might as well both agree on it.

 

I start scrolling through pictures, occasionally asking Ashton what he thinks of each dog. At first, his reactions are pretty normal, like saying he likes their color or commenting on how small they are. Then he starts to move onto laughing at the expressions they make and giving them personalities based on the pictures.

 

I just laugh, putting an arm around him. He’s so adorable when he’s excited. With almost every dog we see, he points and says that that’s the best dog he’s ever seen. When we land on the same breed of dog, he exclaims that he remembers them.

 

He even starts to give them names. The Pomeranians are Bud, the poodles are Ribbon, the collies are Wolfie, etc. I ask him if that’s what he’d name the dog if we got them and his response is, “That’s why it’s their name, silly! I wouldn’t call them something they didn’t want!”

 

“You know that fluffy dogs need a lot of brushing, right?” I ask. Ashton nods.

 

“I’m gonna braid it.” I snort, laughing a little.

 

“You’re going to what?” Ashton turns to me, completely serious.

 

“I’m going to brush their fur and then braid it.” I bite my lip to keep from laughing too hard.

 

“Am I going to need to get bows for this?” Ashton’s eyes light up and I take this as a yes.

 

After about an hour of searching for puppies, Ashton points to a puppy and gasps, “That one! That one is perfect!”

 

I read the name. It’s a Samoyed puppy. I glance over at Ashton. “Are you sure?” I ask. I smile. “You’ve said that about the last 50 puppies we looked at.”

 

Ashton shakes his head. “I mean it!” He says. He stares in wonder at the puppy. “It’s so fluffy!”

 

He isn’t wrong. The puppy is practically a tiny white ball of fluff. I have to admit, it’s an adorable puppy. I look up Samoyed dogs, checking what they look like when they’re all grown up. When the pictures load, Ashton gasps again, clapping his hands.

 

“I like that one!” He says. “It’s pretty.”

 

I chuckle. “You want a Samoyed puppy?” I ask. He nods quickly.

 

I read the care rules. The dog is very social, and energetic, which is a blessing and a curse. It also needs frequent brushing and grooming. Other than that, it seems to be a pretty great dog. The longer we sit in silence, the more Ashton pouts.

 

I happen to glance over at him and he pouts, his eyes widening a bit. “Please, Daddy?” He asks. “Can we get it? Please?”

 

I chuckle. “We can try,” I say. “It might not be at the shelter.”

 

“But if it is?” Ashton asks expectantly. I grin.

 

“If it’s at the shelter, we can get one.” Ashton jumps up, clapping his hands together excitedly.

 

“Yay!” He hugs me tightly, nearly knocking the laptop off the couch. I grunt in surprise, chuckling. Then I hug him back, smiling.

 

“When do you want to go look?” I ask. Ashton shakes his head.

 

“I want you to get them,” He says. I raise my eyebrows.

 

“Are you sure?” He nods. I raise my eyebrows more, pulling away a bit. “I can trust you home alone, right, angel?”

 

He nods quickly. “Yes, daddy,” He replies confidently. “You can trust me.”

 

I grin, pecking him on the lips. “Alright then,” I say. “It’s settled. We’re getting the puppy.”

 

Ashton grins, practically shaking with excitement. He hugs me again, thanking me. I laugh, hugging back. Then he starts gushing about the puppy and wanting to walk it and wanting it to sleep in his room and getting a cute dog bed for it. I listen, smiling fondly.

 

I wait a few days before actually heading out. I wait until Ashton is napping, knowing he ends up sleeping for hours at a time. I leave him a note saying I’ll be out for a bit, just so he won’t start freaking out when he realizes I’m gone. However, I don’t tell him what I’m doing.

 

There happens to be a small litter of the puppies at the shelter. An abandoned dog had recently had given birth in the shelter. The puppies are just old enough to be adopted separate. I feel a bit bad, separating the litter, but the staff assures me that it’ll be fine.

 

When I get home, Ashton is just stumbling into the living room. “Where did you go?” He asks sleepily, rubbing his eyes. I close the door, trying to suppress a grin.

 

When I don’t respond immediately, he looks over at the door. His eyes widen and his face lights up. He squeals, rushing over to me. “You got the puppy!” He exclaims excitedly. The puppy barks, pawing at the door of the carrier. I laugh.

 

“She seems happy to see you,” I comment. Ashton looks at her in wonder.

 

“What are you going to name her?” I ask. He thinks for a moment.

 

“Star,” He replies confidently. I raise an eyebrow at him.

 

“Are you sure?” I ask. He nods. I grin, setting the carrier down. I let little Star out, though she’s a little cautious at first. Then she runs to Ashton, licking him. He giggles.

 

I grin. “Welcome home, Star.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suggested by Wastethemuke (hope I didn't fuck it up). My interpretation of it.


	3. Muke: Temper Tantrum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little!Michael gets upset and Caregiver!Luke has to calm him down

I hear him start to sniffle before I enter the room. My eyes widen slightly. I walk into the room, peering over at Michael.

"Is something wrong, babydoll?" I ask gently. Michael doesn't look at me, but when he opens his mouth to answer, he bursts into tears.

I quickly rush over to him, trying to calm him down. He shakes his head, jerking away from my touch. I chew on my lip, my eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" I ask him. He shakes his head, still crying. He starts hitting the wall like he usually does when he's throwing a temper tantrum.

I put a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention again. "What's wrong?" I repeat. He takes a shaky breath, still crying.

"I messed it up!" He sobs. "It looks terrible and I can't find the rest of my crayons!"

I rub his shoulder. "We can find the rest of your crayons," I assure him. "How about you choose a different coloring page?"

He screams, shaking his head. "I don't want to do a different page!" He wails. "I wanted to do that one!" I flinch at his yelling.

"Which one?" I ask gently.

He points over to his coloring book, still sobbing. I look over at it. I can tell he was trying really hard to make it look nice. He must have used the wrong color and then he got mad so he scribbled all over the page. Then that made him even more upset.

I turn back to Michael, who's still throwing his tantrum. I put a hand on his shoulder again. "It's alright, babydoll," I coo, trying to calm him down. "It's alright."

He shakes his head. "It isn't fine!" He yells. He sobs. "I messed it up and it's ruined!" I sigh, rubbing his shoulder.

He turns to look at me and I open up my arms for a hug. He shakes his head firmly, still crying. I sigh, putting my arms down.

"Should we go look for your crayons?" I ask. He screams in response and I take that as a no. I just need to let the tantrum settle a little before trying again.

I coo nice things to him, listening to him cry. He stops moving around as much, which is a good sign. He stops jerking away as much. His cries start to get quieter. It takes a while, but he finally calms down a bit.

He sniffles, looking down at his hands. "Do you want to find your crayons?" I ask quietly. He nods dejectedly. I chew on my lip, nodding.

We start searching his room for his crayons. He starts to get frustrated again, so I have to go over and comfort him before resuming the search. After about 10 minutes of looking, it turns out that he had accidentally put some of his crayons in the toy bin and they had fallen to the bottom.

I take the crayons out of the box, showing Michael. He seems to calm down more when he notices I've found them. He even smiles a little bit. He crawls over to where I'm at, putting the crayons slowly back into the crayon box. I help him.

Then he looks over at his coloring book and he starts to cry again, looking at the page he scribbled all over. I move next to him, putting an arm around him. This time, he snuggles closer to me instead of moving away.

"Tell you what," I say quietly. "How about I go and print off another version of this page so you can color it?"

He sniffles, looking over at me. "You can do that?" He asks. "You can find this page?" He points to the ruined page.

I nod. It's part of the reason I got this book in particular. You can get PDFs of it online and print the pages separately if you want. I figured something like this would happen eventually.

"I can do that," I assure him. I glance at the time. I get up, picking him up as well. "It's almost your naptime, babydoll." He mumbles, pressing his face into my neck.

I chuckle. "I'll print off the page while you're napping," I say, gently putting him in bed. "That way when you wake up it'll be all ready for you to color."

Michael looks up at me, sniffling. "Promise?" He asks quietly. I smile.

"I promise." Michael smiles a little at that.

"Thank you," He says quietly, making grabby hands. I lean down and he quickly pecks me on the lips. I grin.

"Anything for my babydoll," I reply, kissing him on the forehead. "Now, though, its naptime."

He protests quietly, but I know he's a bit tired from his temper tantrum. He stops protesting when I tell him I can sing him to sleep. I smile at him as he pouts, curled up on his side with his stuffie. After a few songs, he's out like a light.

I stay there for a moment, smiling at him. Then I kiss his forehead gently and leave the room, shutting the light off behind me. I walk to the computer, loading the PDF file and printing Michael's coloring page.

Then, knowing that he'll be in pain when he wakes up from hitting the wall, I get his pain medicine out. Then, just as a little treat (and because I know he hates taking medicine), I get out his favorite candy. Just a little something nice.

I walk back to the living room, settling down on the couch. I turn on the TV, smiling to myself. Michael's temper tantrums scare me still, even after all this time. Still, I've gotten better at handling them. I just don't like watching him be upset.

I'll make sure he's happy when he wakes up from his nap.


	4. Halsey/Melanie: Hide N Seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little!Melanie and CG!Halsey play hide n seek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is their ship name please help lmao

"Little one?" I call down the hallway. "Little one, where are you?"

I hear giggling in the bathroom and grin. I sneak up to the door, leaning against it. "Where could my little princess be?" I ask dramatically. "Is she in the closet?"

That earns me a snort and a loud laugh. I chuckle. "I think I found her," I say, opening the bathroom door. Melanie squeals, covering her face with her hands.

"Mommy!" She whines, giggling. I wrap her up and my arms, laughing. I start kissing all around her face, making her laugh.

"I've found my princess!" I exclaim. "The prettiest princess of them all!" She laughs happily, kissing my cheeks.

"Can we play hide n seek?" She asks me with wide eyes. I nod, grinning.

"Of course, little one!" I reply. "Do you want to hide or do you want me to hide?"

"I'll hide first," She says as I put her down. She smoothes out her dress, messing with one of her bows. I stand there for a second, wondering if she'll move.

She looks up at me, staring for a little while. Then she giggles, shaking her head. "You have to go!" She laughs. "Then you gotta count to ten and then find me, remember, Mommy?"

I chuckle. "Alright, here I go," I say, walking out of the bathroom.

I walk into the living room nearby, covering my eyes. "Ready, little one?" I call. She giggles in reply. I laugh. "Alright. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7..." I hear a crash from down the hall and I stop counting for a second.

I listen for crying, but I don't here any, so I know the safe to snicker a little. I shake my head fondly. "...8, 9... 10!" I uncover my eyes, standing up. "Here I come!"

I walk towards where I heard the crash. Sure enough, stuff has come tumbling out of the closet. She must have considered hiding in there but then knocked everything down. I laugh quietly, shaking my head.

I walk into my room, looking around. Testing whether or not this will work again, I dramatically exclaim, "Where could my princess be? Is she under the bed? Or is she behind my dresser?"

I hear giggling from the other room and I grin. "Wherever could she be?" I continue. "I must find my princess!" That makes her laugh.

I walk into her bedroom and I can see her bow from behind her toy chest. I bite my lip to keep from laughing. I look around the room, sighing loudly.

"I guess she isn't in here," I say. "I guess I'll have to go look somewhere else." Little suppressed giggles follow.

I creep up to her toy box, chewing on my lip. I wrap her up in my arms, saying, "I found you!" She squeals, laughing.

"That's no fair!" She whines. "You made me laugh!"

"Well," I say, setting her back down again, "how about I hide this time and you come find me?" She nods and I kiss her cheek.

She sits cross-legged on the floor, covering her eyes. "1...2...3..." My eyes widen at how fast she's counting. I rush out of the room, suppressing laughter.

"...4...5...6..." I decide to hide behind the couch in the living room. I bring my knees up to my chest, chuckling. "...7...8...9...10! Ready or not, here I come!"

I hear her rush down the hallway, accidentally kicking the spilled stuff from the closet. She curses, then gasps and catches herself. "Mommy didn't hear me," She assures herself. I barely contain my laughter.

She goes into the kitchen, looking there. I can hear her moving the chairs. "Mommy?" She asks. "Mommy, where are you?" I chuckle quietly to myself.

After a few minutes, she clambers into the living room. "Mommy?" She asks. I chew on my lip, grinning. She picks up the pillows, dropping them on the floor. Then she walks around the couch, noticing me.

Her eyes widen and she rushes into my arms, giggling. "I found you, Mommy!" She exclaims happily. I laugh.

"Yes, you did!" I reply. "Good job, little one!" She giggles again. I peck her on the lips.

I get up, checking the time. "Your cartoons are going to be on in a few minutes," I remind her. "How about you get settled down and I go get some snacks?" She nods, rushing to the remote.

She sits cross-legged on the couch, holding the remote close to her. I chuckle, shaking my head fondly. I walk into the kitchen, opening the cabinet. I decide that she's been good today, so I'll let her have some chocolate. I grab a little snack for myself as well.

The cartoon starts as I'm walking back into the room. Melanie quickly pats the seat next to her before turning her attention back to the TV. I sit down, handing her her candy. She glances down at it and then gasps.

She quickly hugs me, kissing me on the cheek. "Thank you, Mommy!" I chuckle.

I put an arm around her and she rests her head on my shoulder. She snuggles close to me, giggling quietly. I glance over at her, smiling.

I readjust one of her bows, humming quietly. She is completely transfixed on the TV. I know it's her favorite cartoon. She insists on watching it when it actually airs unless she absolutely can't. Recording it isn't the same.

I kiss the side of her head, chuckling. "My adorable little princess," I mumble. She doesn't look over at me, but she does smile.

God I love her.


	5. Cashton: Doctor Baby

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little!Ashton is pretending to be a doctor but CareGiver!Calum isn't an obedient patient (aka Ashton is playing Doctor and Calum keeps breaking character)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda short and sweet idk. Based on a prompt I read somewhere

"Hello," I greet, trying to suppress laughter. "I'm here for a check-up?"

Ashton nods, taking out his toy doctor's kit. "I'm Dr. Ashton," He greets. "I'm going to give you your check-up."

He takes out his stethoscope, pressing it to my nose. In spite of myself, I snort, giggling. He laughs. "I'm kidding, I know how to use it," He says. "I'm smart."

I hum. "Yes you are, babydoll," I agree.

"Doctor," He corrects. I laugh.

"Yes you are, _Doctor_." I correct myself. He giggles.

He presses the stethoscope against my chest, leaning close to my chest. He waits for a minute, listening to my heartbeat.

"Your heart seems fine," He says, putting the stethoscope away. He starts to grin. "Though it's really big and really warm. You may want to check that out."

I awww, laughing. "But you're the doctor!" I exclaim. "Aren't you supposed to check it out?" He giggles.

"Oh yeah." I laugh, shaking my head. He starts pressing his hands against my chest, humming.

"Yep," He says, "definitely the biggest heart I've ever seen. Such a warm, nice heart." I giggle.

"Thank you, Doctor," I laugh. He nods, smiling.

He goes back to his toy medical kit, rummaging through it. "Next," He says, "we have to give you your shots."

I fake gasp. "Will they hurt?" I ask. Ashton shakes his head.

"They won't," He replies, "don't worry."

Breaking character a little, I ask, "If they do, can you kiss them better?"

This startles Ashton out of character for a second. He looks over at me, his eyes widening a little. Then he narrows his eyes at me, throwing a small toy bandaid at me.

"Sir," He says, "this is an adult place. I don't kiss boo-boos."

I snort. "I see, Doctor," I reply. He giggles again.

He administers the shots, and I fake a gasp of pain for the first one, making Ashton worry at first. When he sees me smiling, though, he knows it's ok, and he giggles. Once he's finished with the shots, he puts the fake bandaids on them.

"Next," He says, "we're going to-"

I start leaning over to him, kissing his nose. He blinks, cutting himself off. He blushes, lightly smacking me on the arm. I can tell he's trying to hide his smile.

"Sir," He says, "sir I'm your doctor. You don't kiss doctors on the nose."

I laugh, nodding my head. "Of course," I reply. He narrows his eyes and I snicker. He giggles, shaking his head.

"Next, we're going to check your bones," He continues. I give him a confused look but then I realize what he means. Tapping places on my arms to see if they hurt.

He takes out his little hammer and lightly taps some areas of my arm. Then, with no warning, he smacks me hard on the arm with it. I wince, though he giggles, not noticing. He continues tapping, occasionally tapping a little too hard and bursting into giggles.

"Babydoll," I warn. He narrows his eyes and I sigh. " _Doctor_ , that hurts."

He stops, pulling the hammer away. "Does it?" He asks. I nod. He frowns, and I know he's trying not to get upset.

"I'm sorry," He mumbles, putting the hammer away.

"It's alright," I say, smiling a little. "I know you wouldn't hurt me in purpose."

He smiles at that, giggling a little. He starts talking again, but I know I upset him, and I feel bad, so I lean over and hug him. He stops, pouting at me.

"Sir," He scolds, "this is inappropriate."

I snort, not pulling away. I snuggle closer to him, wrapping him up in my arms. "SIR," He scolds. I laugh, kissing the top of his head.

"Doctor Baby," I tease, kissing his head again. He folds his arms, though he's still giggling.

"This is a grown-up place!" He whines. I laugh, kissing his head again.

"Well, it's also time for dinner," I say, getting up. "So Doctor Baby needs to have food."

Ashton laughs, getting up as well. "You can call me babydoll again," He says. "Im done playing Doctor."

I giggle, giving him a hug. I peck him on the lips, humming. "Well, babydoll," I say, "it's time for dinner."

He giggles, kissing my nose. Such an adorable little. I love him


	6. Carziger: Playground

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Am I going to hell? Probably. At least this is cute  
> CareGiver!Cody and Little!Maxx play at the park

"Are you sure you want to go to the playground?" I ask cautiously. I agreed to going on a walk because I knew how much Maxx loved going in walks in the park. But he wants to go to the playground section now.

I'm just worried that he'll get upset because there might be other people there. I honestly couldn't care less about what they think, but I know how vulnerable Maxx can get in little space.

He nods vigorously. "Yes!" He exclaims. "I haven't been to the playground in so long!"

I sigh, smiling. "Alright, then, little one," I say. "If you get upset or hurt, though, we'll leave, ok?" He nods again and I chuckle.

I hold his hand as we walk over to the playground. The closer we get, the more he's practically dragging me along. Luckily, no one really seems to be around. There are a few teenagers a good distance away laughing to each other, but other than that, we're practically alone.

"Do you want me to come with or do you want to play alone for a while?" I ask. He thinks for a minute.

"Can we play for a while, Daddy?" He asks. I nod, smiling.

"Of course," I reply. "Where do you want to go?"

He looks around for a minute before pointing to the monkey bars. He takes my hand again and pulls me over to them, giggling a little. I laugh.

"Can you do it by yourself?" I ask. He nods.

He climbs up the ladder and starts making his way across the monkey bars. He fumbles a little, nearly falling. He gasps and giggles each time he nearly falls.

When he makes it to the other side, he turns to me with bright eyes. I grin, clapping for him.

"Good job, babydoll!" I congratulate him. He giggles at the praise.

"Your turn!" He yells. I laugh, shaking my head fondly.

I make my way across the monkey bars as well, Maxx yelling encouraging words the whole way through. When I get to him, he giggles, clapping. "You did it!" He cheers.

I wrap him up in my arms, laughing. He giggles, pressing his face into my neck. We stay there for a second, forgetting the world for a moment.

Then Maxx is dragging me over to the swings. He sits down, looking up at me with pleading eyes. I chuckle.

"Use your words, little one," I remind him. He huffs a little, but then laughs.

"Can you push me, Daddy?" He asks. I nod, smiling.

"Of course, little one."

I grab the sides of the swing, pulling back as far as I can. Then I push him forward, making him squeal. When he swings back, I push on his back, making go higher.

He giggles and yelps, encouraging me. I laugh with him because goddammit, his laugh makes me laugh and he's just so adorable.

After a while, he lets me stop pushing him and he kicks his legs to keep going. Then, he slows to a stop, giggling. He sits there for a moment, trying to catch his breath.

Then he jumps up, turning to me. He ushers me over to a swing, making me sit down. I raise an eyebrow at him.

"Do you want me to swing with you?" I ask. He shakes his head, giggling.

"No, silly!" He replies. "I wanna push you now." I chuckle, smiling at him.

"I'm ready, babydoll." He giggles, going behind me.

It takes him a few tries to get it right, but then he does start to push me. He giggles every time he has to push against my back, and, once again, I laugh with him.

He lets me swing by myself for a while, clapping for me occasionally. When I feel like getting of the swing, out of habit, I jump off. It's a pretty high height, though.

Maxx cries out a little but I land perfectly fine. He rushes over to me, hugging me tightly.

"That was cool but that was scary," He mumbles into my neck. He lightly smacks me on the arm. "Please don't do that again."

I can hear the worry in his voice. I rub his back soothingly. "I won't," I reply. "Don't worry, little one. I won't get hurt."

He sniffles, looking at me. "Promise?"

"I promise."

He's silent for a moment, still a little sad. Then he nods, his smile returning. He pulls me over to the rocking animals. He decides that he likes the seahorse and gets onto it.

I can't help but giggle. He's almost too big for the damn thing, but I know he doesn't care. He starts rocking back and forth, giggling. He leans really far back and forward, squealing a little.

Then, he goes back far enough that he falls off, the thing swinging back to its original spot. He giggles, just laying there.

I head over to him, helping him up. "How about I sit on the bench and you go run around the jungle gym for a while?" I suggest. Maxx frowns.

"I want you to play too," He whines. I chuckle.

"Daddy needs a break," I reply. "I'll only sit on the bench for a while, then I'll come and play again, ok?"

Maxx doesn't seem happy about it, but he nods, going over to the play structure. I sit on the bench, watching him fondly. I occasionally check my messages, but my attention is mostly on Maxx.

While he is completely adorable, it's also because I don't want him falling and getting hurt. I know he's completely capable of using everything safely, but I still worry.

Occasionally, he'll laugh and turn to me, yelling, "Daddy, watch this!" He runs around the structure, laughing to himself. I smile fondly at him.

Before I can come back and join him, he comes back over to me, panting. "I'm tired," He mumbles, falling into my arms. I laugh, wrapping my arms loosely around him.

"Is it time to go home?" I ask, rubbing his back. He nods slowly.

I chuckle. "I think it's babydoll's nap time," I say, getting up. He hums, leaning against me.

I sigh, chuckling. "Do you want Daddy to carry you home?" I ask. He nods tiredly, humming again. I smile.

I pick him up and he rests his head against my chest, mumbling words I can't understand. It's a bit of a struggle at first, but we start to make our way home.

About halfway through the walk home, Maxx is peacefully asleep in my arms, quietly snoring. I smile at him fondly, kissing his forehead.

He stirs slightly, mumbling, "Night, Daddy."

I hum, chuckling quietly. "Night, babydoll."


	7. Carziger: Self-Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very sleepy and stressed Cody and his worried little, Maxx (this is in Maxx's point of view just because I thought it would be better that way. He speaks a bit more simply so the word choice isn't always the best)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's sad but it's precious ok

I'm almost done with my coloring page when the front door opens. I snap my head up. I start to grin, trying to get my drawing done as quickly as possible. Daddy's home!

Then I rush out of my room, giggling. "Hi, Daddy!" I say excitedly. He turns to me slowly, smiling a little.

"Hey, angel," He mumbles, his voice soft and quiet. I frown.

I go over to him, looking him over. I don't see any bruises or anything. He seems upset. "What's wrong?" I ask. He shakes his head, slowly taking his coat off.

"It's fine, babydoll," He mumbles. I pout.

"What's wrong?" I ask again. He doesn't respond this time, but he does smile. He continues taking off his things slowly, but stops on his ring. He leaves the ring.

He slowly trudges into the living room, leaving his phone on the counter. I stare after him, my bottom lip quivering a little. I just want to know what's wrong. I don't like seeing Daddy upset.

His phone buzzes and I wait for him to answer it. He doesn't. I wait a little while, just to see if he will. When he doesn't, I cautiously make my way to his phone, reading the message. I put the phone down as quickly as I pick it up.

Oh.

I walk to my room, trying to figure out what to do. He always takes care of me but now he needs to be taken care of. What would he do if it were me?

After a moment, I get an idea. I grab one of my favorite stuffies and head into the living room. Cody is watching TV, his eyes half shut. His eyes seem glassy.

I stand in front of him, holding out the stuffie. He looks up at me, and I see just how exhausted he is. He looks down at the stuffie.

"What do you need, babydoll?" He asks, rubbing his eyes.

I place the stuffie in his arms, not saying anything. He takes the toy, furrowing his eyebrows. He looks at the stuffie, then at me, then at the stuffie again.

"Why did you give me this?" He asks.

I shrug, shifting my weight. "My stuffies make me feel better and you always give me mine when I'm upset so I thought maybe it would help you too," I reply. I smile. "I know he'll protect you! He always makes me happy. Maybe he'll make you happy too!"

He stares up at me, silent. I start to worry I did the wrong thing. Then his bottom lip quivers and he starts to cry. My eyes widen and I hug him, panicking a little.

"I didn't mean to make you cry! I'm sorry!" I apologize. He shakes his head.

"Happy tears, little one," He sniffles. "Happy tears."

I pull away again and he hugs the stuffie close to him, looking up at me. He smiles through his tears and I smile back, though I don't like seeing him cry.

"Can you tell me what's wrong now, Daddy?" I ask. He sighs.

"Just some work stuff," He replies after a moment. "I'm just... drained."

I frown. "I'm sorry, Daddy," I mumble. He shakes his head, smiling again.

"It's alright, little one," He replies. "It's not your fault."

I think, trying to find another way to make him feel better. Then I snap my fingers, grinning. "I know what you need!" I exclaim. He looks at me, confused.

I giggle, pulling him up off the couch. "You need a bath!" I say. "Baths make people feel good." He chuckles, leaning on me a little for support.

"That does sound nice," He admits. I grin, pulling him to the bathroom.

Though he protests a little, I run him a bubble bath. He makes sure I don't overfill the tub, though he nearly falls asleep sitting down. My heart hurts a little watching him.

I start to leave the room but Cody tiredly grabs my hand. "Can you stay?" He mumbles. I nod, smiling.

"Yes, daddy." He smiles, his eyes still closed.

The tub isn't big enough for both of us, so I just have to sit beside it. He lowers himself into the water, hissing at the warmth. I notice he is a lot less tense once he gets in the water, though.

While I'm playing with stuff on the counter, he slowly washes himself, or so I think. After about ten minutes, I hear quiet snoring. I turn to Cody and realize he's fast asleep.

I giggle quietly, but then I remember that it isn't good to fall asleep in the tub. Cautiously, i start to wash his hair, trying not to wake him up. He shifts a bit, but doesn't fully wake up.

Smiling, I mumble nice things while he sleeps. Maybe he'll hear me and it'll make him feel better. Even if he doesn't hear it, I like complimenting him. He deserves nice things.

When I'm done, I watch him for a little while. It's like the age fell off his face. He looks peaceful. I smile, kissing his cheek.

Eventually, I nudge him awake. He mumbles, rubbing his eyes and then cursing because of the soap. My eyes widen and put a hand on his arm. He looks over at me, tears in his eyes. He smiles slightly.

Once he's out of the bath (and has used his eye drops), he still seems slow and tired. He doesn't look as tense now, though. That's a good thing. He's getting better.

While he's drying off, I quietly ask, "Would cuddling make you feel better?"

He looks at me, thinking for a minute. Then he smiles, nodding. I smile back. I gently take his hand and lead him to his room. He follows, mumbling quietly.

Once we crawl into bed, he pulls me close to him. I look at him and he smiles lazily at me. Getting one last idea, I start peppering kisses on his face and neck. He chuckles, shifting.

"What are you doing, little one?" He asks sleepily. I don't reply.

"I love you," I say in between kisses. I start giving him other compliments as well, playing with his fingers. It takes me a while to notice he's crying again.

I smile, pecking him on the lips. "I love you," I say again. "You take care of me and I take care of you." He smiles. He gently kisses me, holding me close.

"Thank you, little one," He says softly. "I feel a bit better now."

"Can we talk about it after our nap?" I ask. He chuckles.

"We can talk about it then," He replies. I smile.

"I want you to be happy," I say, snuggling closer. "You make me happy and you deserve to be happy."

He chuckles, still crying softly. "I have the sweetest angel," He comments, gently kissing me again. I giggle quietly.

I close my eyes, pressing my lips against his skin. "Sweet dreams, Daddy," I mumble against his skin.

He chuckles. "Sweet dreams, angel," He murmurs, kissing my head.

Sometimes we just need each other.


	8. Carziger: Aftercare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a different concept. Basically post-sex aftercare and fluff (also it's 5:30AM and I have not slept so bear with me)

I try to even out my breathing, closing my eyes. My heart is still racing and my mind is still buzzing, but exhaustion is starting to catch up. I hear a small whimper beside me and I open my eyes, rolling onto my side. Maxx looks at me, smiling lazily.

I smile at him fondly. "Do you need anything, babydoll?" I ask quietly. He nods.

"Can I have some water?" He asks, his voice scratchy. I nod, smiling again.

I force myself onto my feet, stumbling out of the room. I make my way to the kitchen, getting him a glass of water. While I'm down here, i decide to grab a towel too.

I lean against the counter for a second, smiling to myself. I'm still in the post bliss, but the majority is fading quickly. I just take a moment to just stand there, just because.

I head back upstairs, still buzzing a bit. When I get back into the room, Maxx is trying to sit up. He winces, making me chuckle a little. He pouts.

I hand him the glass of water and he takes it thankfully, murmuring a quick 'thank you' before nearly chugging the whole glass. I shake my head fondly at him, chewing on my lip.

When he's done, I hand him the towel. He cleans himself off, humming a little. Then he hands it to me. I don't think much of it. Once we're both clean, I toss the towel into the laundry bin.

I run a hand through my hair, sighing. I stretch, cracking my back. When I don't sit down for a few minutes, Maxx starts to whine. I turn my attention to him. He pats the place next to him, pouting. I smile slightly.

"Use your words, little one," I say, my voice quieter and a bit rougher than I expected.

He whines softly again. "Come back," He mumbles, cuddling under the sheets. I smile.

The minute I get onto the bed, Maxx snuggles close to me, burying his face in the crook of my neck. I chuckle, wrapping my arms loosely around him.

"Did I do good?" He asks softly. I smile, nodding. I kiss his head, humming.

"You did very good, babydoll," I reply. I kiss him, mumbling against his lips. He giggles a little.

I run my fingers through his hair, struggling to stay awake. Still, I have just enough energy to keep my eyes open. Maxx smiles at me, poking my nose. In spite of myself, I snort, making him burst into giggles.

"I love you so much, you know that?" I say. He shifts, blushing.

"I love you too," He replies. He pecks my lips. "More than anything."

I chuckle. "More than anything?" I ask. "Even more than your stuffies and chocolate?"

He nods. "More than my stuffies and chocolate," He confirms. I chuckle.

"That's a very big honor," I murmur, my eyes fluttering closed. Maxx hums.

"Do you love me more than music?" He asks. I open my eyes again, looking at him.

I laugh a little, pecking his lips. "That's just impossible," I reply. "You are my music."

He giggles, burying his face in my neck again. He starts to leave small, gentle kisses there. It's soothing, almost. I pull him closer, my eyes fluttering closed again.

"Daddy?" I open my eyes again, though it's harder this time. I hum in response.

He chews on his lip. "Are you sure I was good?" He asks. "I didn't feel like I was."

I run my fingers through his hair again, smiling lazily. "You did very good," I assure him, gently kissing him. "You always do good."

"Really?" He asks.

"I'd tell you if you didn't, but I think it's impossible anyway." He smiles, giggling.

"You're beautiful," I mumble, kissing him again. I can feel his cheeks heat up.

We stay there, kissing softly, for what feels like hours. I could stay like this forever. This feels like home. I wish I could just bottle it up and keep it forever.

"I love you," I repeat. Maxx giggles.

"You always say that."

"I don't think I'll ever say it enough."

He blushes again. "I love you too," He whispers, as if it's a secret. It makes me smile.

Every fiber of my being is asking me why and how the hell I'm still awake but I force myself to stay awake. I admire Maxx, whom is also trying to ward off sleep.

Maxx rests his forehead against mine, mumbling, "You should sleep. You have work tomorrow." His voice slurs with exhaustion.

I chuckle. "I'll sleep if you sleep," I reply. He chuckles.

"Sweet dreams, Daddy."

I smile. "Sweet dreams, little one." I peck him on the lips, earning a breathless laugh.

Then my eyes flutter closed and I drift off into dreams with Maxx in my arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'll even out this book with the ships eventually but i just really like Carziger please don't sue


	9. Mashley (Halsey/Melanie): Bathtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halsey helps give Melanie a bath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Or, alternatively, a break from Carziger lmao)

I duck my head into the room, smiling a little. Melanie is coloring, though I notice her hands are completely covered in marker marks. I sigh, shaking my head fondly.

"Princess?" She looks up from her coloring, her eyes lighting up.

"Mommy!" She exclaims, running into my arms. I laugh, hugging her back.

Before I can say anything, she drags me over to her coloring table, showing me her drawings. "Look at what I did!" She says. I smile, turning the pages of her coloring book.

"It looks amazing," I compliment. "I love the colors you used!"

She giggles. "Really?" She asks. I nod, smiling. She buries her face in my neck, continuing to giggle.

After a moment, I pull away, helping her put away her markers. "Good timing," I say, "because it was just about your bathtime anyway before you did this." I hold her hands in mine, showing her them.

She pouts. "Do I have to?" She whines. I raise an eyebrow.

"You need to get clean, princess," I reply. "You need a bath."

She pouts again, but she eventually gives in. I start running her water while she picks out new clothes. I sometimes let her pick just because it gives her a little responsibility, but not too much.

When I walk back into her room, she shows me what she picked out. She decided on a pale blue dress, one of her favorites. She likes how loose it is.

I chuckle. "Is this what you want to wear after your bath?" I ask. She nods. I smile.

"Well, pick out some underwear then. I'll put this in the bathroom and check on your water, ok?"

She nods, going back to her closet. I take the dress and fold it on the counter, glancing at the water. I figure I can let it run a little while longer.

I walk back into Melanie's room. She turns around when I knock on the door. "Do you want a normal bath or just a bubble bath?" I ask.

She thinks for a moment. "Can I have a bubble bath?" She asks. I nod, smiling.

"Since you've been a good girl, yes," I reply, kissing her on the cheek. She giggles.

Then I go back and check on her water, adding the bubbles. I sit at the edge of the tub, watching the water fill the tub. After a minute or so, I shut the water off.

"Little one, your bath is ready!" I call.

A moment later, she comes into the room. She puts her clothes down. Then she giggles a little and nods to the door. I sigh, smiling.

I walk out of the bathroom, closing the door. She doesn't like changing in front of me all the time. I don't mind, really. She deserves some privacy.

I hear her get into the tub before I hear her call, "You can come in now, Mommy!"

I chuckle, opening the door again. I take the clothes that she crumpled on the floor and put them in the laundry basket. Then I sit on the edge of the tub.

"Do you want me to wash your hair or do you want to wash it yourself?" I ask.

"Can I play first?" She asks. I shake my head, chuckling.

"If I let you play first, you'll never get clean and you'll never get out of the tub."

She pouts, but she knows I'm right. "Can you wash my hair?" She asks. I nod, smiling.

I grab the bottle of shampoo/conditioner and a cup. I start slowly washing her hair, trying not to get soapy water on me. I know I'll fail eventually, but it's worth a shot.

While I'm washing her hair, she starts playing with the bubbles, giggling. I laugh a little with her. She looks so adorable.

When I'm done washing her hair, I hand her a soapy washcloth. "How about you wash yourself?" I suggest.

She pouts a little, but she doesn't protest. I don't admit that it's just because I don't want to overstep her boundaries here. She can get very sensitive about where I can touch, and I don't want to do something she wouldn't want me to.

While she washes, I clean up some excess water that's splashed out of the tub. Then I get up, going to grab her bath toys. I leave them in a basket under the sink.

"I'm done, Mommy," Melanie says. I glance over at her.

"You sure, Angel?" She nods.

I smile, bringing out the bath toys. Her eyes light up and she claps her hands together. She makes grabby hands towards the basket and I laugh. I dump the toys in the water, making her squeal happily.

She turns to me with bright eyes. "Can you play with me?" She asks. I nod, smiling.

"Of course I can."

She decides she wants to play with the boats first. We have little boat wars, knocking into each other. Every time we do, she giggles, which makes me laugh as well. I do have to scold her a bit, telling her not to splash so much.

We play for a while with various toys, and she seems pretty content. So much for 'do I have to?', huh?

After a while, though, I have to get her out of the tub. She whines until I point out, "Once you get out, you can go play with your toys in your room."

I collect all the toys again, putting them in the basket. Then I help Melanie out of the tub, getting her a towel. I help her dry herself off as well. She hums.

Just as we're finishing up, she leans up and presses a soft kiss on my lips. I hum, kissing back. She smiles against my lips, causing me to smile as well.

When she pulls away, she quietly whispers, "I love you." I smile.

"I love you too, Angel." I peck her on the lips again, chuckling.

"Do you need me to help you change clothes?"

"...Can you help me put the dress on?" I nod, turning around while she puts her underwear on.

She taps me on the shoulder, letting me know it's ok to turn around. I smile, picking up the dress. She puts her arms up obediently while I slip the dress on over her.

I have to button up the back, which is a bit of a chore, but it's ok. She giggles as I do so. I make sure her hair is out of the way, just so it won't get caught in the buttons.

When I'm done, she spins around. I giggle a little. "You can go and play now, babydoll," I hum. She grins.

She pecks me quickly on the lips before dragging me to her room to go play with her. I laugh, shaking my head fondly.

She is the cutest thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In other news, my computer is currently broken, so there might not be many updates for my other two fanfics for a little while. i will continue to update this one though and I may write more one shots of different topics


	10. Muke: Baking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CG!Michael and Little!Luke bake cupcakes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Based on my friend's request)

"Daddy?" Luke asks, popping his head into the living room. I glance over at him, smiling.

"Yes, babydoll?"

He giggles a little. "Do you remember what you promised we would do today?" He asks.

I think for a moment. Then I start to grin. I getup from the couch, humming. "Ah yes," I reply, "we're going to be baking today."

He claps his hands together, nodding excitedly. "Yes!" He rushes over and hugs me, making me laugh.

"Now," I say, pulling away, "you need to go wash your hands while Daddy gets all the stuff out, alright?"

He nods, rushing off to the bathroom. I shake my head after him, laughing to myself. I forgot how excited he gets when we do this stuff. It's been a while since we baked.

I go into the kitchen, quickly washing my hands as well. Then I get the bowls out, as well as the ingredients. I almost forget the cake mix, which is basically the most important part since neither of us can cook from scratch.

Just as I'm finishing setting things up, Luke comes back into the room. "What are we baking?" He asks.

I grin. "You'll find out," I reply. He rolls his eyes a little and I laugh.

He grabs the cake mix box in his hands, looking at it. "Funfetti cake mix?"

I nod. He narrows his eyes at me, making me laugh again. I shake my head, gently taking the box out of his hands.

"Do you remember how to do this?" I ask. He thinks for a minute.

Then he nods, smiling. I chuckle. "Read what we need to do first, babydoll."

He grabs the box again. "We need to..." He narrows his eyes, reading it. "We need to preheat the oven and put the paper baking cups."

I nod. "How about you put the cups in the pan while I preheat the oven?" He nods, smiling.

He hums to himself and I can't help but ruffle his hair. He whines in protest and I laugh. Once we've both done what we needed to, Luke picks up the box again.

"Next, we need to mix cake mix, water, oil, and eggs," He reads.

I help him pour everything into the bowl, making sure not to make too much of a mess. It seems to go fine. Then comes the eggs.

"Do you want to crack one?" I ask, handing him an egg. His eyes light up and he nods quickly.

I laugh, gently handing him the egg. He takes it gingerly. "Do you know how to do it?" He nods again.

I watch him carefully. He starts tapping it against the counter. He seems to be doing fine. After a moment, he freezes. Oh no.

Temptation becomes too much. He slams the egg down on the counter, splattering it everywhere. I curse, shielding myself. Luke shrieks.

After we've calmed down a bit, Luke glances sheepishly at me. "Oops?"

I sigh, shaking my head. "You are so lucky you've been good today," I say, a slight smile on my lips. "Though, if you keep doing that, there's going to have to be some punishment."

He nods quickly. We clean up the carnage, and I can't help but laugh. I mean, the whole situation is kind of ridiculous.

Once that's cleaned up, it's decided that I will do the rest. I mix the batter, Luke drumming his fingers on the counter. After that, I let him help me pour the batter into the cupcake pan.

"How long do we bake it for, babydoll?" I ask. Luke reads the box.

"20 minutes," He replies. I nod.

Once the cupcakes are in the oven, Luke frowns. "That's so long!" He whines. "I don't wanna wait."

I laugh, ruffling his hair again. "How about we go play computer games while we wait?" I ask. Luke's eyes light up and he nods.

He drags me off to the computer, making me laugh. I make sure we go to his favorite kids website. I help him with the puzzles, even if he protests a little. I know he doesn't truly mind.

Once the cupcakes are ready, I turn to Luke. "Are you ready to decorate, little one?" He nods excitedly.

I lay out the colored icings and sprinkles. Luke claps his hands together happily. We start icing the cupcakes, though I have to help Luke to start his. Then we decorate separately, though Luke shows me every cupcake he does.

He manages to get icing everywhere, which I expected. Once we're done icing the cupcakes, Luke gives me a wide eyed look.

"Can I have one now, Daddy?" He asks. "Pleaseeeee?" I chuckle.

"Of course," I reply, taking one myself. He laughs happily, taking a cupcake.

I finish mine first, so I tell Luke to finish his at the table so I can clean up the kitchen. He eats happily, smiling. I shake my head fondly at him.

Once I've gotten the kitchen mostly clean, I check back on Luke. Yet again, icing everywhere. I laugh.

"You're such a messy eater," I tease. Luke laughs.

I wipe away the icing with a napkin, though he wrinkles his nose. I laugh at the expressions he makes.

Then, once everything is cleaned up and thrown away, I struggle to pick Luke up. I've never been the best at this.

"I think it's time for a bath, babydoll," I say, laughing a little. "Just to make sure you're all clean."

He doesn't protest all that much, though I do have to promise he can have another cupcake after dinner. I make sure to put the cupcakes in the freezer before starting Luke's bath.

He stands near me, rambling about the baking we did today. I just can't help but smile at him.

He is so fucking adorable.


	11. Cashton: Lunchtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little!Calum is a picky eater and CG!Ashton sometimes forgets that

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Requested by a friend)

"What do you want for lunch, little one?" I ask. Calum thinks for a minute, curling up in the couch. He rests his head on my lap.

"Can I have a sandwich?" He asks. I smile.

"Your usual?" He nods. I nod, chuckling.

"Of course you can, little one." I ruffle his hair, gently lifting his head up. He whines, making grabby hands.

"Come back," He whines. I snort.

"If you want lunch, angel, you're going to have to let me make it," I remind him gently.

He doesn't seem too pleased about it but he eventually huffs and nods. I smile, kissing his cheek. That gets him to smile a little.

I head into the kitchen, humming to myself. I get all the stuff I need, setting it out. Then I check my messages, just because I haven't in a while.

After that, i set to work, making sandwiches. I decide to play music on my phone as I do. I grin, dancing a little to the music.

I can hear Calum's video games in the background. He must have snatched my laptop. I snort. Of course he would.

I kind of space out a bit while making the sandwiches. I sing along with the song, trying not to interrupt Calum's games. I know how upset he can get if he loses his concentration and fails on a game.

Once I've finished his sandwiches, I decide to make myself some ramen noodles. I grab a cup of them, and then start heating up the water. I drum my fingers on the counter as I wait.

"Daddy?" Calum calls from the other room.

"Yes, babydoll?" I call back.

"Are you almost done?"

I chuckle. "Almost," I reply. "Daddy has to make his own lunch too, little one."

He giggles a bit before I hear his game resume. I roll my eyes, chuckling again. Impatient little one. I can't blame him though. I'm starving.

Once the water is ready, I add some things to my ramen, just to give it some flavor. Then I walk to the fridge, getting Calum a drink. I know that he won't ask for one but he'll want one and claim 'I forgot, Daddy!'

Then I call to him, "Lunchtime, little one!" Just as I say it, I realize I forgot to cut his sandwiches.

I cut the crusts off, just like he likes me to. Then, absentmindedly, I cut them into squares. Calum comes into the room as I'm finishing up, sitting at his usual seat.

I set his plate and drink in front of him before grabbing a drink for myself. I pop open the cap, taking a sip. I sit down nearby Calum, starting to eat.

After a few minutes, I realize he isn't eating. I stop, glancing over at him. He's pouting, staring at his food. I narrow my eyes, not understand what's wrong.

"Not hungry?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"'S not it," He grumbles, scowling. I glance at the sandwich.

"Did I make the wrong kind?"

"No."

"Then what's wrong with it?" I ask, genuinely confused.

Calum huffs. "I'm not gonna eat it!"

"Why not?"

He yells a little in exasperation. "I don't want square sandwiches!" He replies, as if it's obvious. That's when it clicks.

My eyes widen a little. Then I smile quickly. "I can fix that," I say, picking his plate up. I pick my knife up again.

I cut the squares into little triangles. It completely slipped my mind that he only eats triangle sandwiches. Little mistakes happen.

Once I'm done, I put the plate in front of him again. "Is that better?" I ask.

He smiles happily. "Yes, Daddy," He replies. He takes a triangle, nibbling on it. "Thank you, Daddy."

I smile, relieved. "Sorry about that."

He shakes his head. "It's ok," He replies. "You fixed it. It's better now."

I scoff a little, chuckling. I continue eating my food while he happily munches on his. He notices the drink and smiles at me sheepishly. I snort, making him giggle.

Once we're finished eating, he helps with the dishes. Though, that translates to he puts his plate and glass in the sink and turns the water on. I roll my eyes as he leaves the room, chuckling to myself.

"Can we watch a movie?" Calum calls from the other room.

I laugh. "Let me finish the dishes, then we will," I reply.

He giggles. "Ok, Daddy."

I hum to myself as I do the dishes. Sometimes it slips my mind how picky littles can get. It's alright, though. I knew what I was signing up for.

Once I'm finished, i walk back into the living room. I notice that Calum has already picked a movie and I snicker a little. He giggles as I sit down.

He rests his head in my lap again and I automatically thread my fingers through his hair. He sighs contentedly. I smile down at him.

As I start up the movie, Calum mumbles something I can't understand. "What was that, little one?"

"'Said I love you," He mumbles. I grin.

"I love you too."

He giggles, shifting a bit. I twirl his hair around my finger idly. The movie starts and Calum completely spaces out. I smile a little.

I wouldn't give this up for anything.


	12. Carziger: Trying Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little!Maxx wants to try something new and CG!Cody isn't going to just tell him no 
> 
> +the rest of SIO reacting to Little!Maxx 
> 
> (this is also based on a recent run in with warm cheesecake it was not a pleasant experience)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haven't updated in a while. Running out of new prompts. Suggestions are open. If I run out I'll just to repeats with different ships

"Daddy?" I turn to Maxx, raising an eyebrow. He's wearing his favorite little clothes (his pastel blue t-shirt with the butterflies on it and pale pink shorts with the frayed ends) and mismatched socks. Which would all be fine, except that everyone is home.

I give him a lopsided smile. "Yes, little one?" I ask. He giggles.

"You know how big me did a video about trying new stuff?" He asks. I nod slowly. He smiles. "I wanna try something new again."

In spite of myself, I laugh a little. "More sauerkraut?" I tease lightly.

He wrinkles his nose, shaking his head wildly. "Nuh-uh," He replies. "That was gross."

I laugh a little. "What do you want to try then?" I ask, pulling him up onto my lap. I kiss the back of his head and he giggles.

"I wanna try cheesecake," He replies. "I've heard it's good."

I raise my eyebrows. "You want cheesecake, little one?" I ask. He nods.

"Just wanna try it," He says. He giggles. "Don't worry, Daddy. I won't get a stomach ache."

I chuckle, kissing his cheek. "I wouldn't let you anyway," I reply. Zach pops his head into the room, starting to ask a question.

He raises his eyebrows a little and I shoot him a warning look. He gets the message and the surprise fades. He chuckles a little.

"Hey, Zach?" I ask. Maxx turns to the door, tensing a little. I shush him quickly, kissing his head. "Don't worry, little one, you don't have to be big."

He nods slowly, but doesn't relax much. I sigh. "Can you get my little one some cheesecake?" I ask. "He wants to try it."

I can see Zach try to hide a grimace at my speech. Maxx doesn't usually go into little space with people around (it makes him nervous and he keeps flickering between little space and big space) but it's happened before. If you don't take part in it, it can be hard to get used to.

I appreciate he isn't pulling Maxx out of little space though.

"Sure," He replies after a moment. "Need anything else while I'm at the store?"

Maxx turns to me, his eyes lighting up. "Can I have candy?" He asks. "Please, Daddy?"

Another grimace from Zach. At least Maxx doesn't notice. I chuckle. "You've had too much candy recently," I remind him. "Too much gives you stomach aches, remember, little one?"

He frowns. Deciding now isn't the time to make him upset, I offer, "Do you want cookies instead?"

His eyes light up. "Can I get chocolate chip?" He asks. I chuckle, nodding.

He claps his hands together excitedly. He turns to Zach, and the minute Maxx looks away, I flash another warning look at Zach. If he hurts my little in little space, I swear to fucking god...

Zach chuckles. "I can do that," He says, surprising me with how gentle his voice is. "Anything else you need?"

Maxx turns to me again. I shrug. "Do you need a new stuffie?" I ask. He thinks for a moment.

To my surprise, he shakes his head. "I don't want to make my others jealous," He replies. "They're still getting used to Millie being around."

Zach raises an eyebrow. "That's the elephant, right?"

Maxx turns to him, his eyes lighting up. He claps his hands together excitedly. "You remembered!" He cries out happily. This startles Zach for a second and I laugh.

Once he's calmed down, he says, "I want another coloring book."

To my surprise, I see Zach try not to grimace again. He grits his teeth, talking through them. "Is your... _daddy_... ok with that?"

I snort loudly. Zach glares at me and I laugh a little. I could _hear_ him force the word out. Hell, I could _see_ it. I appreciate the effort, but come on. It's a little funny.

Maxx however seems to relax immensely when he hears Zach call me that. Either he ignores the tone, or doesn't care. Either way, it's a good sign.

He turns to me and I nod. "It's alright with me," I reply, still snickering a little. Zach nods curtly, throwing me another glare.

"I'll be back," He says, laughing a little before leaving the room. I snort once he leaves.

Then Maxx turns to me, looking at me with puppy dog eyes. "Can we play with Pistol while we wait?" He asks. I laugh, nodding.

"Of course we can, little one. You remember where her toys are, right?"

He nods quickly, getting off my lap. I shake my head fondly and chuckle as I follow him out of the room. At least he's more comfortable now.

When Zach does finally come back, Dan and Sydney are already downstairs. They had similar reactions to Zach but when they realized we were just playing with the cat, they were pretty chill about it. Maxx seems to enjoy the company, and he's remained little, which I think is a pretty big accomplishment for him.

I make a note to congratulate him on it later.

Zach glares at me yet again, but he's laughing this time. "I got your damn cheesecake," He says, closing the door closed.

Automatically, I cover Maxx's ears. He giggles as Zach gives me a weird look. "Daddy says no swearing," Maxx explains, still giggling. He falters and I know where this is going.

I gently put a hand over his mouth. "Don't finish that," I say, only slightly joking. Maxx giggles and he starts again but this time I change my tone. I repeat the command and he stops. Then he nods, mumbling a 'yes daddy' against my hand.

I chuckle a little, removing my hands. He giggles a little. Zach just stares at us, having no idea how to react at this point.

Finally, he chuckles, shaking his head. He hands us the cheesecake, mumbling under his breath. I can tell it doesn't irk him all that much. I've been weirder to him.

Maxx looks at the cheesecake. He wrinkles his nose a little. I laugh. "You sure you want to try it?" I ask gently. He nods.

We cut the cheesecake and give him a small slice. He glances over at me. I nod. "You can eat it away from the table," I assure him. I chuckle. "Just this once."

With my ok, he nods. He takes a bite of the cheesecake, though he's extremely hesitant. He chews for a bit, furrowing his eyebrows.

Then he grimaces, shaking his head. I can see him wanting to spit it up and my eyes widen. I grab a trashcan and he spits it into there, shaking his head more. He whines loudly, trying to wipe his tongue off. If he doesn't get it off soon, I know he'll start crying.

"Will juice make it better?" I ask. He nods, still whining.

"It won't come off!" He cries. Dan and Sydney exchange looks, having no idea what's happening.

I rush to get Maxx's juice from the fridge, not even putting it in his cup. Hopefully he won't spill it. Then I rush back, handing him the glass.

He takes it thankfully, drinking a big swig of it. Then he puts it down, sticking his tongue out again. Though, it has stopped the whining. He sits there for a moment, not saying anything.

Then he pushes away the plate, shaking his head firmly. "No."

I chuckle. "What was wrong with it?" I ask.

He shudders. "It was warm!" He whines. "It was... _ew_." I snort in spite of myself.

"But you tried it!" I say, pulling him into a hug. I kiss his head a few times. "I'm proud of you, little one."

He looks at me with wide eyes. "Really?" He asks.

I nod, smiling brightly at him. "Yes!" I reply. "You wanted to try it and even if you didn't like it, you still tried! I'm very proud of you!"

He mirrors my grin, giggling. I kiss his forehead, humming. "I'm proud of my little one."

He giggles again. "I did it!"

I grin, nodding. "You did it!" I peck his lips. "I'm so proud."

"I have something that may help dull the pain a little," Zach says. We turn to him and he hands Maxx a coloring book and a new box of crayons.

Maxx's eyes light up, taking the items. He stares up at Zach and I can see the happiness in his eyes. After a moment, he squeals, hugging Zach's legs.

He grunts in surprise, looking down at the little. Maxx giggles at him. "Thank you!" He chirps, crawling back to the new coloring book. He looks over at me, smiling.

"I'm gonna color a picture for you!" He says. I hum, smiling.

"Are you?" He nods.

"It's going to be very pretty," He says, flipping through the pages. I chuckle, kissing his cheek.

"Of course it will be," I reply. "You're the one coloring it."

He giggles, blushing. I smile. I glance over at the others and they give me lopsided grins in return. I shrug, turning back to Maxx and his coloring.

I'm pretty damn lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if he likes cheesecake or not just enjoy the blurb lmao (sorry if it's cringy idk)


	13. Carziger: Dress Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CG!Cody and Little!Maxx play dress up but neither of them take it too seriously (ft. Nonbinary!Maxx and Feminine!Maxx)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I should preface these with "this is writing practice I don't claim any of this as canon please don't get mad at me"

"Daddy?" Maxx asks. I hum, glancing over at him. He giggles. "Can we play dress up?"

I raise my eyebrows. "You haven't wanted to do that in a while," I comment.

He frowns. "Because last time," He replies, "someone yelled at me for wearing a dress, so I didn't want to anymore."

My chest aches a little. I go over to him, giving him a tight hug. He smiles, hugging me back. I remember that incident. Maxx didn't want to cry in public (saying he was a big kid, not a little kid) but when we got home, he burst into tears.

"What do you want to dress up as, little one?" I ask.

Maxx shrugs, giggling. "I dunno yet," He says. He takes my hand, getting to his feet. "We'll see."

I laugh, rolling my eyes a little as we head to his room. He has a whole chest dedicated to his dress up clothes. He has masculine clothes; he's got feminine clothes. Depends on how he feels.

He goes over to the chest, opening it. He rummages through the clothes, tossing most of them out of said chest. I snicker, sitting cross legged next to him.

"Is daddy going to have to clean all of this up?" I tease lightly. He giggles.

"I can help," He replies. I roll my eyes, laughing.

After a little while, Maxx finally decides on one of his princess dresses. Sometimes I'm the princess, sometimes we're both princesses, or both princes. Today seems like a both princesses day.

Maxx takes the purple one, handing me the blue one. "Are you dressing up too?"

I smile, taking the dress from him. "Of course."

He insists on changing in his room by himself, so I change in mine. Doing this still feels strange. It hasn't become natural yet. But honestly, I don't mind all that much. Not my normal style, but I look good, and it makes my little happy.

I put on the dress, brushing it down a bit. I check myself in the mirror, just to make sure everything looks ok. Then, snickering, I call to Maxx.

"Do you want me to get the makeup out again?"

I hear a loud gasp from the other room. Then, a much more quiet whisper of " _Yes_." I snort, shaking my head fondly.

I take out the simple makeup kit. It's nothing flashy, mostly because we don't use it. Still, it keeps Maxx entertained whenever he wants to use it. Sometimes he's really good at it. Other times I think he secretly just wants to scribble on my face because it looks funny.

Once I'm let back into his room, he quickly pats the space next to him. He takes the makeup kit as I'm sitting down. "What will it be today, little one?" I ask. "What are we today?"

Maxx thinks for a moment. "I don't know if I wanna be a king or a princess," He says. I shrug.

"Why not both?" I ask.

He thinks about that for a moment. Then he narrows his eyes, furrowing his eyebrows. "Yes," He says thoughtfully. "I shall be the princess king."

I don't know whether it's the statement or the way he said it, but I burst into a fit of giggles. Maxx seems a little confused at first but then he giggles too. I shake my head, smiling. He is so fucking adorable.

Maxx decides on doing my makeup first. He says he wants to "make me pretty, well, prettier than I already am". I try not to grimace when he tries to use the eyeliner pencil (luckily not very sharp) to draw on my cheek.

He starts babbling while I sit obediently. He makes up a backstory for our characters and I can't help but smile slightly. It apparently screws up my lipstick though. I don't mind.

Apparently he's the "elf princess king" and I'm a "fairy emperor" ("They're not the same thing, Daddy. Very different.") from a distant land and we're negotiating trade. Apparently we're also discussing the recent human-monster war.

I decide not to ask where he got the idea.

Once he's done my makeup, it's my turn to do his. He says that he wants to look "pretty but powerful". I get a small pout when I snicker.

"Do we like each other?" I ask as I put some blush on him. "Our characters?"

Maxx hums. "Yes," He says finally. He smiles a little. "I fall for you instantly." I snort, raising an eyebrow.

"That so?" I ask. He nods.

"Your beauty captivates me." I snort again.

"Where did you learn these words?"

"Big words sounded prettier."

I chuckle, shaking my head. "You are so adorable," I comment. He tries but fails to hide a smile.

Once I'm done, Maxx claps his hands. "Now we're ready to play," He says. I grin.

"So," I say, trying to get into character without snickering, "you have called me here to negotiate trade, your highness?" Maxx laughs a little but then tries to get back into character.

He nods firmly. "Yes," He says. "We're low on rubies, and you have many."

I nod. "I have noticed," I say. "But that isn't the only reason I'm here, is it sir?"

Maxx frowns. "They," They correct. I blink. Then I nod.

"My apologies, your highness," I say. They smile.

"You're forgiven," They say. Then they chuckle. "And yes, you're here for more than rubies."

Occasionally Maxx scolds me for giggling, but they do the same. They start jumping around the room, ignoring my questions on why they're jumping while we're trying to have a meeting. Eventually the whole meeting descends into chaos and I'm chasing them around the room.

They shriek with laughter, twirling a little. I laugh with them, trying not to trip on stray toys on the floor.

"You shall never get me!" They shriek. "Stay away, fairy emperor!"  I laugh.

"You shall not escape me!" I reply. They laugh.

"The elf princess king is ruled by no one and nothing!" They exclaim. They laugh again. "Not even gender can contain me!"

I giggle. I'm starting to get short of breath but I don't mind. I manage to catch up to them and I catch them by the waist, pulling them close to me. They shriek, giggling.

"I have found your weakness!" I exclaim, laughing. Maxx laughs.

"Oh no!" They giggle. "I have been defeated!"

I laugh. "The elf princess king revealed their weakness," I narrate, "and were then defeated. The fairy emperor decided to spare them because he isn't a dick."

Maxx smacks me. "No swearing!" They whine. I chuckle.

After a minute of silence, they say, "I'm sleepy, daddy." I hum.

"Playtime over for now?" I ask. They nod, yawning. I raise an eyebrow. "Pronoun switch?"

They nod. "You can go back," They say. They turn to me, smiling a little. "Thank you, by the way."

I chuckle, pecking him on the lips. "Anything for my little one." He giggles a little.

He tries to change himself, but then he gets stuck. Since he's already sleepy, he starts whining, getting upset. I help him and he calms down a little.

I get a washcloth to wash his face as he changes into normal clothes again. When I come back into the room, Maxx is already curled up on his bed, eyes only half open. I chuckle.

He frowns, whining quietly as I wash the makeup off his face. He shifts, yawning again. Eventually, I get all the makeup off, reminding him of what happens when he falls asleep with it on.

Then, just as he's falling asleep, I remember to grab his normal nap time stuffie. He hums quietly, eyes still closed. He hugs the toy close, smiling softly. He murmurs a quiet thank you before he falls asleep.

I watch him for a moment, smiling. Then I pull the covers gently over him, kissing his forehead. I shut the lights off and close the door quietly behind me.

As I'm walking to the living room, i happen to glance at myself in a mirror. I stop, chuckling to myself. I shake my head, looking down at my dress.

"The things I do to make you happy," I whisper quietly. I chuckle. Though, I must admit one thing.

I don't quite mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM ALIVE. I'm terrible at updating stuff lmao. School doesn't help that either. I'll try to revive this one (I really like it I just haven't had inspiration and I've been busy as hell)


	14. Carziger: Christmas Decorations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little Christmas blurb for the soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays if you don't celebrate Christmas. I'm a little rusty at this, so sorry if it's not my best. But the holidays finally gave me some prompt ideas lmao. But yeah expect at least like 1 or 2 more updates today

I lift the box of lights up, making my way up the stairs. "Little one?" I hear running feet heading to the door.

"Yes?"

I chuckle. "Can you do me a favor and open the door?"

After a moment, the door swings open, and Maxx stands in the doorway, grinning. He's holding one of his stuffies under his arm, which makes him even more adorable. If that's even possible.

He's wearing an oversized sweater and sweatpants that make him look so small. Whenever he tries to roll up the sleeves, they just fall back down when he moves. It makes him pout a lot.

Once I've brought up all the boxes, I turn to him. "Are you going to help me with the lights, or am I going to have to do it myself?"

He thinks for a moment. "I wanna hang ornaments," He replies, sitting cross legged on the floor. I sigh.

"So no help with lights?"

He giggles. "Moral support."

I snort, shaking my head. "Good enough, I guess."

He obediently watches as I hang up the lights, occasionally cheering me on and making his stuffie wave at me. Sometimes his mind wanders a little and he'll just start mumbling to himself, playing with his stuffie. His attention usually returns to me if I happen to step close enough.

Once all the lights are hung up (and I can untangle my ankle from the stupid things), I tap Maxx with my foot. He glances up, hugging his stuffie.

"Time for ornaments, little one."

He grins, stumbling to his feet. I chuckle, shaking my head. I go to the box of ornaments, taking off the lid. Immediately he rushes for the sparkly ones, nearly tripping as he goes to the tree to put them up. Still, he pouts at me for snickering.

"When are Zach and Dan gonna be back?" He asks, standing on his tiptoes to put the ornament up higher.

I glance over at the clock. "They said about 4-ish," I reply, taking out a glass angel ornament. "We have plenty of time."

Maxx hums, content with the answer. He seems fascinated with the sparkly and shiny ornaments. He doesn't really put up any of the more cloth ones, though occasionally he'll walk up to the tree just to feel the fabric. He knows not to touch the glass ones. Not in little space.

Made that mistake before.

After a while, though, he seems to get impatient. He plops down onto the floor again, pouting and hugging his stuffie close. I raise an eyebrow at him, putting up another ornament.

"Something wrong, little one?"

He shrugs. "I'm tired," He whines. He frowns. "I wanna decorate but I need a nap."

I glance at the clock. I guess it is around the time he takes a nap. I sigh, looking back over at him.

"Tell you what," I say, kneeling down in front of him. "How about you go take a nap, and I'll make sure all of the presents are wrapped. Then you can continue decorating with me when you wake up."

He thinks about this for a moment. Then he smiles, nodding. "I like that idea."

Sighing with relief, I help him to his feet, leading him by the hand to his room. Pistol ends up following us at some point, meowing quietly and brushing up against our legs. Maxx giggles a little.

Once I've tucked him into bed (and Pistol has decided that she is going to curl up next to him), I head back downstairs to check on presents. We have to hide them away, due to pets getting into everything.

I check to make sure all of them are wrapped. I happen to find a few that aren't, and with a heavy sigh, I get out more wrapping paper. I grumble to myself about how Zach and Dan should be here to help. I can forgive Dan being out with Sydney. Zach just didn't want to.

Once I've finished wrapping the presents, I make sure the lights are working by turning them on for a moment. No point in having them on in the middle of the day. Then I just wait, knowing that if I put even a single ornament up he'll probably notice and get upset I decorated without him.

This is maybe the 3rd time he's gone into little space near Christmas. Usually he snaps out of it pretty quick (bc of the amount of people around and he gets embarrassed for being little), but he's pretty comfortable around us. So he's little here, big with his family. It works out. Going into little space helps him cope with stress of the holidays.

Sometimes makes me wish I could do it too.

Before I can get the chance to go up and wake Maxx up, Pistol runs down the stairs, Maxx close behind. He's stumbling a bit, and he nearly falls down the stairs, but he manages to make it to the bottom without hurting himself.

I shake my head, chuckling. "Can we decorate now?" I ask him. He nods, grinning.

I don't realize how much time has passed until, when we're almost done decorating, Dan and Sydney walk through the door. Maxx jumps, startled, and ends up dropping his ornament. He quickly picks it up again, hanging it on the tree.

They both glance at Maxx for a second before looking to me. I nod slightly. They nod, understanding. Like I said, this isn't the first time this has happened.

Pistol comes into the room to investigate, tapping her paw on one of the lower ornaments. Maxx notices and scoops her up in his arms, to her protest. He moves her away from the tree, shaking his head.

"You can't touch the ornaments!" He scolds. "You might break them."

Even if Pistol understands him, I think she's a little more preoccupied with the fact that she really doesn't want to be held. Nonetheless, he carries her out of the room, still scolding. I snort, shaking my head.

"He's adorable."

Sydney shakes her head. "He acts like a child."

I shrug. "He just acts small," I reply. "Not always the same thing."

Dan raises an eyebrow at her. "You literally nearly cried because you accidentally spilled milk the other day, and you're going to judge him for scolding his cat?"

I snort while Sydney's cheeks turn red. "Fair point," She mumbles, smacking him on the arm. He laughs.

Maxx comes back into the room, grabbing my arm. "What do we do now?" He asks, tugging on my sleeve. I chuckle.

"Well," I say, "i think we've basically finished with the tree." I glance at Dan and Sydney. "Anything you guys need help with?"

"I mean," Sydney says, thinking for a moment, "There's probably some more baking we can do."

Maxx's eyes light up. He claps his hands together excitedly. He turns to me. "Can I?"

I nod, grinning. "Of course." I ruffle his hair, to his mild protest. I glance at Sydney. "It's alright if he...?"

She nods, smiling slightly. I can tell she's slightly uncomfortable, but I appreciate that she's trying not to show it. "Of course," She replies. "I know how he gets."

I smile thankfully at her. Maxx bounces a little, giggling. "This is fun," He comments. "I like this."

I raise an eyebrow. "Bouncing or Christmas prep?"

He laughs. "Both."

Sydney and Dan roll their eyes. "At least it's fun for one of us," They mumble, snickering when I glare playfully at them.

"You'll need to wash your hands first though, little one," I say, gently pushing on his back. He nods, running off to the bathroom. I stare after him, laughing quietly.

"I don't know how you put up with that," Dan says, looking in the same general direction. I shrug.

"Sometimes I don't know either." I smile slightly. "But I wouldn't change it for the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: also this isn't really related to this prompt, but as I said on my This Chat Is Going To Hell fic, Melanie will no longer be a part of my fics. I will not include her in future updates. Thanks for understanding xx

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to leave a suggestion for a ship let me know!


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